Sen
by TdotKdot
Summary: A snake demon finds herself in an awkward situation once she comes face-to-face with the greatest thieves of the Makai. But can she hold her own when she's offered a place among the bandits of Youko Kurama and Kuronue? KuronuexOC
1. The Beginning

**A/N: **A lot of people are probably yelling at me now along the lines of:"Why in the blue blazes are ya 'll starting another story when ya'll haven't finished the first one!?" (Because my readers are from Texas. ) My simple reply: I'm sorry! I just had a great thought and I'm not about to let this one go like so many before it. Sorry! (Go to end of the work for full explanation.)

Anyways, most people don't know much about Kuronue. In fact, he only appears once in the Yu Yu Hakusho movie, but once was enough for me. For more background information on the bat demon, look up 'Kuronue' on wikipedia.

**Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho is a trademark that is not owned by me. I only own my own characters, so there! Are ya'll happy now? Yeesh!**

* * *

_' I am thinking.' - _Thoughts 

"I am talking." - Talking

**The Beginning  
**

It was already long into the godforsaken hours of the night that the storm's unmerciful rain continued to unleash its wrath upon the realm of demons. The peanut-sized water droplets pelted the foliage of the forest with precision and power, and the rhythmic beating of leaves recoiling against the sudden attack resounded soothingly throughout the area in a slow muted pulse. Near the outskirts of the forest lay a sleeping village, and just over in the distance was a structured fortress, built on that single small mountain to give the illusion to any passerby that the castle watched over its inhabitants with protective eyes.

The town's demeanor was submerged in darkness, with the exception of the few lights in the distance with which to provide light to the guards of the castle. The other single source of illumination from the town came from a small local tavern, a desperate attempt for business in case of a wanderer or two.

The tavern door opened with a sudden yet subtle creak, and a tall cloaked figure walked in from the pounding rain. He removed his hood and gently brushed his long damp bangs to the back of his head. The two auburn cat ears atop his crown twitched at the sudden touch. His eyes flickered briefly back out towards the storm before locating and gliding over to a secluded and dimly lit table in the corner of the bar.

"Slowpoke..." He mumbled under his breath. His whole body suddenly twitched in synchronization as he tried to rid himself completely of the water from the rain. He smirked to himself; would it be ironic to say it was raining cats and dogs? A plump looking waitress approached the table after she observed when he was comfortable.

"Good evening, sir." She smiled. "May I start you out with something to drink?"

The cat-demon sighed heavily, before glancing back out to the dark storm through the open door, his dark eyes seemingly scanning through the curtain of rain.

"As a matter of fact, I think I'll have a whiskey." He complied after a few seconds. "And maybe a little side of-"

"Jerk!" Came a harsh tone from the bar entrance.

The neko's ears twitched happily, and a small grin appeared on his face. "Oh, good! I thought I lost you." He replied with satisfaction as he closed in eyes in relief.

"I'm... sure… you did…bastard…" His companion softy panted. Her soaked hair and clothes clung loosely to her body and the wet trail from the rain she made glistened in the dim light. Her companion showed no signs of sympathy, and continued his order.

"Make that _two_ sides of cucumber, and one hot tea as well." The waitress nodded and the new figure glared at the smiling neko as she sat down with a soft 'squish,' her clothes still dripping from the rain outside.

"You must be thirsty from the run." The neko's voice resounded chirpily. His friend glared daggers in reply.

"You mean the _chase_? After a certain hydrophobic neko-dork decided to ditch me without any explanation?" The girl answered in a menacing tone.

"That'll be all." The neko smiled and addressed the waitress, who had clearly been caught up in the whole argument. She awoke with a sudden jolt, then smiled and bowed quickly at the neko before she walked away with a hint of blush on her cheeks. The neko stared appreciatively at the waitress' retreating form.

"She's cute…" He hummed to himself. His female companion rolled her eyes. He could be such a sleazebag sometimes, but that alone wouldn't keep a woman from pursuing him. The neko youkai had a beautiful face, with peach skin and prominent dark blue eyes. The auburn cat ears and matching shoulder length hair couldn't hurt his look either, and his irresistible fanged smile was his number one seducer.

"Keep it in your pants, Rensho." The girl shot once she recognized the look in his eyes. "I'm frickin' cold over here and my only hope of warmth isn't about to be pounced on by an idiot like you."

The neko frowned at her and adjusted his cloak so that his gleaming captain of the guard's badge stood out even more against the dullness of the rest of his uniform. He internally smiled when he saw the waitress noticed.

"Awww…but I'm in heat, Senmei, can't you cut me a break?" He pleaded softly. Rensho only then took the time to notice that his friend really _was_ soaked. Her long brown sleeves of her identical guard cloak continued to drip excess water into small puddles that were surrounding her chair, and her waist-length dark brown hair contributed to miniature bodies of water despite being pulled into a braid. Her light brown eyes continued to glare daggers into his playful irises behind her tangled damp bangs.

"Shut up. And don't call me that. It's Sen, not Senmei." She shot back coldly. She shivered involuntarily, and Rensho silently took notice of how pale her skin had gotten.

"Alright, alright." The neko put his hands up in surrender, as he didn't want to upset his friend even more. "I'm sorry for ditching you. I honestly thought you could keep up. Besides, you know what happens when I sense a storm coming." He faked a shiver. "Cats and water_ do not _mix."

Sen sighed, and closed her eyes. Then let her head fall to the wooden table with a dull 'thud.' She didn't move.

"Um…should I take that as a sign of forgiveness?" Rensho questioned jokingly. But he knew that she was probably exhausted, as most cold-blooded reptile demons became when the weather was cold. And the region they lived in was notorious for icy rain.

"Your drinks and cucumbers, sir." The waitress said chirpily as she set down his whiskey and sides. The waitress paused in confusion at the sight of Sen, before deciding to set the tea delicately next to the girl's head.

"Thank you," Sen replied exhaustedly while slowly sitting up to cup the warm tea with her hands. The waitress nodded with a questioning look on her face before turning to the door to greet the newly arrived customers.

"I'm so tired." She breathed. Rensho arched an eyebrow at his companion, which only annoyed her even more. "Oh, come on! You know how I get tired when the weather gets cold. Plus we had that big run today…"

Sen paused and drank her tea while she waited for the waitress to lead the customers past them. She checked to make sure they weren't being overheard before she continued "And what's up with the King, by the way? He's been acting paranoid for weeks now, all these drills and security breach reconfigurations." She whispered.

"Oh, stop being over overly dramatic, and drink your tea." Rensho urged hastily, after downing his whiskey, but the snake demon was not so easily fooled.

"Rensho…" She started slowly. The neko sighed in defeat.

"It's just a rumor, but the King received information from an unconfirmed source that someone's going to try to rob the castle." He murmured while picking up a slice of cucumber with his chopsticks. "Of course, that was weeks ago, but to be safe he wants us to be at the peak of our game in order to prevent any intrusion." He glanced at the snake demon for her reaction, but all Sen did was raise an eyebrow mockingly.

"_That's_ what this has all been about?" she said slightly louder, trying futilely to mute her outrage at the King's overreaction. "All of these endless review lessons and security breach runs we've been doing is based on a fearful _hunch_?"

"Sen, don't mock the King." Rensho said as if reprimanding a small child. "It's bad etiquette."

The snake demon merely huffed in frustration in reply. Rensho noticed that her skin looked less pale, and that her clothes were starting to dry.

"I take it then you're feeling better?" He asked playfully. Sen looked at him questioningly. "You were looking pretty tired before. I assume the heat revived your energy?" He elaborated.

At first Sen smiled and nodded, but then her eyes fell and she gazed slowly out the window into the rushing rainstorm.

"Actually," Sen murmured, her eyes slowly meeting Rensho's dark blue gaze. "I can't help shake this feeling. I feel like…something's about to change…I don't like it…" She whispered.

"You're just stressed, that's all." He assured her while finishing his cucumbers. In the century he had known her, Sen had never acted this depressed before, but he didn't known much about her kind since the snake demons were a dying breed.

In fact, she was the only snake demon he had ever known. She came to castle requesting a post as a guard two-hundred years ago, but he never really noticed her until about a century after she was hired. She was quiet, and tended to keep to herself when it came to socializing with the other guards as no one really knew where she came from. Then one of the older guards decided to retire, leaving him and Sen as on-duty partners.

At first she was quiet, and basically responded to all of his questions in single phrases. But as the years went by, she began to talk more, and they became friends. Her skills were interesting, for although she was a snake demon she showed no visible characteristics of a reptile, unless she concentrated her ki. In fact, she had the unusual ability to control small amounts of water, using them to create make-shift weapons or defenses. When he had once asked about this, she merely replied: "It's nothing special," and refused to continue on the subject.

Aside from knowing that you were never supposed to leave them out in the cold for a long period of time, Rensho had a theory that snake demons had a tendency to predict ominous happenings in the near future. Of course he never believed her when she told him, but a strange occurrence happened after she said she had a "bad feeling."

She told him that he would become captain of the Shinshibodo castle guard, which at the time made no sense because his father was the current captain. The next day, however, he fell during a battle when an unhappy advisor to the King went rogue and tried to kill all of the inhabitants of the castle. It was both a happy and somber day, but it was from then on he decided to keep Sen close to him in case of another 'event.'

"I have an idea!" Rensho proclaimed suddenly, startling Sen for a moment. "We just need to cheer you up." He grinned innocently. "When was the last time you got some?"

Sen stared at him deadpanned, confused by his question. "Some what?" She asked.

"You know…" He smiled perversely while he eyes traveled back to the waitress, slowly looking her up and down.

Sen's eyes widened with realization before she slapped him hard across the face, sending Rensho laughing and wincing to the floor. "What the heck is wrong with you!?" She hissed, rather authentically.

"I already told you," He chuckled while getting back up on his chair. "I'm horny."

"Perverted sex-fiend." She mumbled while finishing her tea.

"Perverted sex-fe_line_." He corrected with a smile. She rolled her eyes and turned her head towards the entrance.

"Do you think we should return? It's almost our shift." She asked. It was still dark outside, but their shift usually began around midnight, so it was as to be expected.

"Yeah, we should probably get going." Rensho replied as he dropped a few coins on the table, then stood and put on his hood. He then flipped a small gold coin into the waitress' hands on the way out, winking and whispering something about "excellent service." The waitress' blush grew deeper, as Sen sighed and followed her companion out the door.

The rain had calmed, but it was still lighting raining as she stepped out of the tavern's warmth and back into the town's cold air. Rensho stood waiting for her, under the sanctuary of a large willow's canopy a few yards away.

"We should really hurry, Sen!" He shouted despite the proximity, for the rain's low pulse against the foliage of the trees was louder when they were right at the edge of the forest. "I don't wanna get more wet than I already am!"

"Quit whining, Rensho!" She shouted as they began to lightly run towards the castle in the distance. "After all, it's not like the castle is _really_ going to be attacked by any-"

A piercing scream resonated in the distance, originated from somewhere in the castle's direction. Sen's eyes shot open and she dashed out towards the fortress with Rensho slightly ahead of her. As they drew nearer her eyes grew wide with horror. Despite the distance, it was quite visible that part of the east entrance of the castle was on fire and under attack. Panic shot through her body as she raced towards the castle through the pounding rain with even more speed.

* * *

**A/N: **To any of my readers of 'Cerulean and Celadon,' I'm terribly sorry about the delay. It may look as if I am abandoning the story, but I assure you I AM NOT!!! In fact, I'll be _finally_ updating it this weekend, since I finally found something to live for. Again, thank you for your patience, and I apologize for the delay. (And for the fanfiction tanget.) 


	2. For Affiliation Purposes

**A/N: **C'est le moste recente chaptier! Thanks to Neji4me for being my first reviewer!

**Disclaimer: I does not owns the p4wness of teh Yu Yu Hakusho. **

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_'I am thinking,' _-Thoughts 

"I am talking out loud, whoop woot!" - Talking

** For Affiliation Purposes**

When she arrived most of the guards were already engaged in battle. It was an ambush of demons; all clad in white tops with slits down the sides and matching white pants. She tried to get a closer look at their uniforms but she immediately sensed a presence behind her. She narrowed her eyes and side-stepped the giant club's swing, then flattened her hand in a knife-like motion and cut downwards. Immediately the raindrops formed a thin blade and decapitated her former attacker.

While Rensho tried to fight off the hoard of demons attacking his men, Sen scanned the scene before her, trying to locate the ambushers' point of entry. Through the rain her eyes stopped on a particular vine growth that had clung itself to the south side of the wall. She had guarded that area on numerous occasions, and had never once noticed a vine there before.

She dashed towards the vine and scaled the castle wall, dodging various attacks launched at her in the process by the demons clad in white, probably attempting to stop her.

_'__The attack is a diversion.__'_She thought quickly as she followed the path past a door with its hinges busted off. As she sped into the castle entrance she noticed that the internal guards had all been hacked to death or subdued by…plants? Sure enough, think green vines had encased some of her comrades, and she now stared at their suffocated bodies. One plant had even taken the guard's own weapon and shoved it into his chest.

_'__These guys are good. Who could train weeds to do that?__'_ She observed as she sped past her fallen comrades. _'__They must be heading for the treasury.__'_ She realized as she headed towards another broken door. But as she sped towards the vault, she felt two sharp pricks penetrate the skin on her right arm.

"Ow…" She cried as she fell to her knees clutching her forearm. She glanced back at the wall of hallway and spotted an exotic purple flower planted there, with needles growing from its center.

"Damn plants…" She cursed, as she plucked the two needles from her arms. The treasury was only a few hallways away. But as she tried to take another step she felt weak, a hot numbness spreading through her body. _'Poison.' _She recognized.

"Ugh, dammit!" She cursed weakly. She then heard light but quick footsteps rushing her way from the direction she was headed. She sensed five of them though the vibrations of the floor. She only had a few moments to act before the thieves came. There was only one thing she could do.

She calmed herself and focused her ki for a moment, then released it so that it flowed through her body. Her fangs grew out, and her irises turned to slits.

The thieves finally arrived, holding what looked like the main jewel chest. It was so enormous that it three to hold it. The two who weren't holding the chest were the most startling creatures she had ever seen. The first had silver ears, with long grey hair and entrancing golden eyes. The second was a bat demon, and had waist-length jet black hair tied in a ponytail, with deep indigo eyes.

Sen was jolted from reality when she realized who she was dealing with: Youko Kurama and Kuronue, the infamous thieves known throughout the Makai for two things during a heist: speed and brutality.

But she didn't back down as she glared at the men and swung the steel door in its place, guarding the only exit with her arms spread out protectively and crouched in a position to attack.

The bat demon smirked and stepped forward. "And what do we have here? A little demon guard on her first attack?"

_'Wrong. So wrong.__'_ She deepened her stance, ready to strike.

"We'll make this an easy decision for you: move or die." The bat demon spoke, approaching Sen slowly as he took out his scythes, already coated with blood. "So, which is it going to be?"

Sen bared her teeth and let her ki flow. She used the water from her damp hair and cut the feet of the men holding the chest, causing them to drop it with a loud thud.

The silver-haired fox youkai gave her a mockingly displeased look. "I guess it's not move, then."

"We don't have time for this!" Kuronue asserted. He swung his scythe and charged towards Sen, but she slid out of the way then sprung up behind him.

Before the bat youkai knew what she was doing, she sank her teeth into his shoulder, and let the venom flow.

"Bitch!!!" He shouted while slamming her against the stone wall. She felt a few ribs crack, and slid helplessly to the floor, recoiling in pain.

"Let's go, Youko!" Kuronue shouted to his partner as he started towards the unguarded exit, but the kitsune remained unmoved and turned towards Sen.

"Wait," He spoke, a hand out to stop his partner. He walked over slowly to Sen, then knelt down and grabbed her neck forcefully so that she glared into the golden eyes of the infamous thief.

"Answer anything but the truth, and I will kill you without a second thought. Do you understand?" He said menacingly. Sen felt a jolt of fear run down her spine, and the kitsune smiled as he saw the terror in her eyes. She nodded helplessly.

"Are you poisonous?"

Sen's eyes widened in surprise. Her whole plan was to let the thieves escape while the venom she injected into the bat-demon slowly killed him, hopefully leading them to all the medical healers in the land, where the royal guards would later ambush them. Now her whole strategy was ruined! How the hell did he know she was a snake demon?

"I'm waiting." Youko said patiently as he tightened his grip on her neck.

"Y-Yes…" She choked. His golden eyes seemed to smolder in satisfaction.

"I thought so…" he muttered. "Aikyou, bring this too. We're leaving. Now!" He ordered one of the demons previously carrying the chest.

In the blink of an eye, Sen was thrown over the shoulder of a demon thief as they rushed out of the castle and into the forest.

"What do we need _that_ for!?" Kuronue shouted to his partner, referring to Sen, as they raced through the forest. Despite the painfully obvious danger of her situation, she still felt irked.

"Snake demons are notorious for their poison." He replied calmly. "The only cure is in the body of the attacker." He smirked and glanced at his partner. "I thought you knew that."

"I'm in too much disbelief to think right now," Kuronue muttered darkly as he gracefully wove through the trees. "The great Youko Kurama actually spared a life…" He glanced back at Aikyou, and smirked in satisfaction when he saw the girl's face in pain.

Sen really didn't know which direction they were going, but her broken ribs throbbed against the back of her kidnapper, causing her to wince every time he leaped. He mind was slowly growing faint due to the pain, and all that she felt she could do now was try to regain her strength, so that when she awoke she could beat the crap out of her kidnapper.

* * *

Sen didn't even realize that she had been knocked out when she regained consciousness on the cold moist earth. But it was not of her own free will. Her arm was being stabbed by a needle, and in the vile was a strange light green substance. She cursed loudly as a searing hot pain shot through her body. 

"Relax," said a voice while firmly gripping her arm. "Reacting will only make it hotter."

Sen could barely understand him over her screams, as she tried futilely to thrash out of the iron grip. Eventually the pain subsided, and she felt that she could control her body, though it still hurt like hell.

"What….the fuck…..was….that…?" She panted, no longer fighting again the binds on her hands and ankles.

"The antidote, for the violet's poison in your body," Said the voice coolly. Wait, she knew that voice. His golden eyes still burned in her mind. She looked weakly up to face Youko, who was regenerating the light green substance from a plant nearby.

"Just one more to go,"

"What!?" She cried in disbelief. His eyes met hers.

"For each needle that penetrated the skin," He elaborated tonelessly.

"No, I mean why are you doing this?" Surely he would have killed her by now. No, then he could have simply left her for dead in the castle.

"My partner needs the cure for your venom, and I'm not about to get the cure from your already poisoned blood."

"Who said the cure is my blood?" Sen shot back coldly, offended by his reasoning. The kitsune's eyes turned cold again.

"Then we'll just have to drain you of all your fluids until we find a cure...That is, unless you would be willing to cooperate?" He prompted with an arched eyebrow.

Before she could answer, he injected her arm with the same substance, white-hot pain seared through her body once more. This time though, she tried not to thrash as much, for she realized her ribs were still broken and unattended to.

"So," The silver haired thief spoke softly and calmly, as if to make her more frustrated as she writhed in pain. "What is your decision?"

She glared silently at the demon, aggravated that she couldn't move and tear his head off. The kitsune sighed and placed his arm under his elbow while he rested his hand in his chin thoughtfully.

"If you're not willing to compromise, then I suppose there is no use for you." He mused aloud so that Sen could hear. She refused to meet his gaze.

"I could kill you…." Sen remained stoic, and Youko took notice. "But, then my partner wouldn't survive the night. Torture would normally suffice, but I wouldn't want to risk damaging any part of you that may the cure. Therefore, the only solution I can come up with to make you concede is a compromise."

Sen rolled over slightly to peer at her captor. Did she mishear him? The greatest thief in all of the Makai was wiling to compromise? Youko noticed the surprise in her eyes.

"I am a reasonable creature, after all." He chuckled.

"How can I trust you?" Sen said warily. Youko stopped smiling, and immediately became serious.

"Thieves honor." He raised a hand in the air, as if to make a solemn oath. Sen didn't look impressed.

"There is no honor among thieves." She replied tonelessly.

"Quite to the contrary, little one, a thieves' word is the strongest pact there is." The silver-haired kitsune spoke with a certain honesty in his voice. "Which was why I gave my word to my partner that I would never let him die, as long as it is within my power."

Sen listened to the fox's words, and closed her eyes to concentrate. His heart's rhythm remained steady, and did not once skip a beat: he was telling the truth. Sen sighed. She couldn't turn down an honest plea for help, especially when she wasn't in any position to bargain.

"Ok, I'll do it." She consented. Youko smirked, and as if by command, the vines on her hands and feat went limp. Sen slowly got up and massaged her wrists.

"Exactly how long have I been out?" She asked, noticing the sky was still dark.

"About six hours." The fox replied as he held the tent door open for her. Only then did Sen notice that she had been in a tent the entire time, which meant that he knew she couldn't be out in the cold for long without the risk of hypothermia. She had to admit, Youko was true to his word about keeping her alive.

She felt relieved to be out in the rain, however cold it was, because she finally had a chance to look at her surroundings. Apparently, the thieves had set camp not too far from the opposite edge of the forest, probably to rest after the heist. The rain was beginning to slow down now, and Sen nearly gasped at the vast amount of tents set up around a slightly larger tent- there must have been hundreds! Exactly how many thieves were there in their band?

In front of her, Youko cleared his throat to attract her attention, and Sen jogged to catch up with him. It was time to get serious.

"His symptoms have only been getting worse." He filled Sen in as they approached the largest tent in the camp. "I haven't given him anything in case it might worsen his condition."

"That was smart of you," Sen replied as she tied her messy hair into a low bun. "The more foreign substances there are in the body, the stronger the poison gets, turning even the least harmful antidote into a lethal ally."

She was about to open the tent's flap, but before she could a servant inside opened it for her, bowing as she and Youko entered and bowing again before closing it.

The inside was richly furbished with fine rugs and various silk pillows, with two separate sides of the tent both draped with exotic silks. On one side, which she assumed was Youko's, the curtains were open, and a makeshift silk bed and mattress with deep crimson sheets and pillows with golden thread accents remained unslept in. A servant sat by the bedside on her knees with her hands placed neatly in her lap, ready to serve at a moment's notice.

The other side had its black and deep indigo curtain's drawn, and she could almost hear strained breathing coming from the bed though it was nearly fifty feet away. She approached with caution, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder before she could proceed any further.

"If any harm befalls him, I assume you know the consequences." Youko's voice was low, but Sen knew that he was dead serious.

"Yes, you will kill me without a second thought." She turned her head slightly and saw the fox cross his arms and smirk at her sarcasm. He then nodded, allowing her to turn back towards the midnight décor, and bowing her head as she entered the bedroom.

The first thing she noticed when she saw the bat demon was that he was covered with numerous amounts of blankets, and yet continued to shiver. When he heard the entrance of someone in the room Kuronue quickly sat up in alarm.

"You!" he croaked before falling into a series of hacking coughs.

"It's alright, koumori no baka." Youko spoke outside the tent. "She's with us now."

At hearing this Kuronue looked less tense and slowly slid under the blankets, still glaring Sen.

"Just so we're clear-"

"I know, I know. You'll kill me, and your partner will probably bury my still breathing body if I try any funny stuff." Sen interrupted with an annoyed edge in her voice.

Kuronue immediately closed his mouth and sank even deeper into the blankets with his arms crossed, glaring at her with intense indigo eyes.

Sen remained indifferent and crossed the rug to get to her patient. She felt his forehead with her palm then sighed with relief. His fever wasn't too hot. She then held her hand out towards Kuronue with an expectant look on her face.

"Your arm," She stated.

Kuronue at first merely deepened his glare, but then reluctantly slid his pale white forearm out from under the covers. Sen took his arm and inspected it, searching for a main tendon gingerly with two fingers. After she had found what she was looking for, she looked up to face the bat demon.

"I'm going to explain this to you now, so you don't flip out when I'm in the process, ok?" He nodded.

"The fastest way for me to get the cure in your bloodstream is to bite you again, only this time I'll be releasing the antidote instead of the venom." Immediately his eyes widened in shock. She sighed. This was going to take a while.

"The reason why each snake-demon's poison only has one cure is because the venom and antidote are connected emotionally to the attacker. Only that demon's memories can be used to gauge the amount of hate or forgiveness in their poison. The stronger the hate, the stronger the venom; therefore, the stronger the forgiveness, the stronger the antidote." At this she smiled.

"You're lucky I wasn't in a bad mood today. You could have been dead in a matter of seconds." She added jokingly. The bat demon however only looked more pissed off.

"Anyway, so for me to provide the fastest antidote I can, I need to concentrate, which means no screaming when I bite you, even though I guarantee it will hurt." Kuronue was no longer glaring, and his eyes held a gentle softness to them. He nodded in understanding, then Sen lowered her head to the blood vessel. She paused for a moment and gently brushed her lips against the smooth skin of his arm, before sinking her teeth once more into the bat demon.

* * *

About a half an hour later she bowed her head as she exited the bedroom, leaving the bat demon sleeping soundly with a peaceful expression on his face. She grabbed a towel placed next to the bowl she used previously and quickly wiped her face. She sighed in relief and handed the towel to a servant, who bowed and quickly scuttled back to her little corner. 

Youko rose from his bed, on which he had been dozing off, and immediately went to check on his partner. When he seemed satisfied that his partner was sleeping, Sen stepped forward to address him.

"He should awaken by morning without any sign of the poison." She said quietly, rolling her sleeves. "If he still does not feel well, I'm sure he should just rest a few more hours to recover from the adrenaline."

The silver-haired thief turned back towards Sen, his eyes beheld a certain amount of mischief in them. He smiled and slowly walked in front of Sen, causing the girl to blush slightly and look down to avoid the kitsune's gaze. What could she say? He _was _pretty hot. …Wait…Did she just say hot?

"And just what might you be so deep in thought about?" A voice whispered close to her ear.

"Woah!" She spun around and jumped back and few yards away from the silver-haired thief, uncomfortable with the close proximity. How did he get behind her anyway?

The kitsune merely smiled and chuckled at the girl's reaction. "Sorry, just testing your reflexes." He rose from his leaning position and turned towards his servant by his bed, motioning for a glass of….something really red.

"You passed, by the way." He added while pouring two glasses of the liquid. He then sat down gracefully on one of his satin cushions and motioned for the servant to give the second glass to her.

Sen accepted the glass gratefully, then froze when she came to realize her situation: she was alone (sort of), in a room with one of the most dangerous thieves in Makai complementing her 'reflexes' and offering her a glass of god knows what poison. If it were any other time, her hormones would have been probably succumbed to his seductive presence loooong ago. Unfortunately, she nearly killed his partner, so she guessed the probability of leaving her safely before the bat woke up were pretty slim.

She was brought back from her thoughts when she realized that the second cushion in front of the fox demon was probably meant for her. She approached with caution, then slowly sat down.

"Thank you," she said slowly, her eyes never leaving the demon's face. She was trained to never let the enemy leave her line of vision, and she felt a little weak knowing that she had lost sight of Youko even for a split-second.

"You seem unusually tense, for a standard castle guard," Youko observed. "What was your occupation before you joined the Shinshibodo?"

Sen hesitated for a moment and sighed. She might as well get used to his acute observations, 'cause this guy was just that frickin' good.

"I was in a military position." She said quietly.

"You sound ashamed,"

"I am." She admitted.

"Why?" He asked while raising his glass to his lips. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"I ended the lives of many beings that didn't deserve to die." She responded while looking down.

"And how long were you affiliated with this group?" He asked. Youko was interested despite the girl's obvious discomfort about the subject.

"It doesn't matter." She spoke with a harsher tone than she intended, and the thief narrowed his eyes at her sudden change in attitude.

"I see…" He spoke with a certain amount of thoughtfulness in his voice. "Well then, I can understand that you most certainly have experience."

Sen looked at him questioningly. "Yes, I suppose you could say that."

"And would you say you that you are terribly bonded to the morals of protecting the lives of corrupt beings?" He continued.

"That's a really…specific question…" Sen said uneasily. "Why do you ask?"

"I want to be sure that you won't feel emotionally torn doing what we do." He elaborated with a smirk and slight glint in his golden eyes. "A few months ago we had an older, but experienced, demon who committed suicide after a raid. I was later informed it was because he felt extremely guilty after so many years of 'senseless slaying.' We've been unable to find a suitable replacement since then, but low and behold that fortune should send me another one so expeditiously."

Sen slowly let the words sink in as she stared in complete disbelief at the smirking fox.

"You want me…to join you?" She couldn't even grasp the concept. It just seemed too unreal.

"The guild, actually." He corrected. "I prefer to remain separately affiliated alongside with Kuronue from the actual whole group for title and reputations purposes. You understand, of course,"

Sen was still in shock from the proposal. Even in her days as a soldier, she could distinctly remember her superiors always avoiding certain areas of attack for fear that Youko and Kuronue would be near. Now the infamous thief himself was asking her, of all people, to join his band of cutthroat renegades?

"W-why….why me?" was all she could say.

Youko raised an eyebrow and stood up to walk closer to her. She was still paralyzed with disbelief, but before she could react his face was already millimeters away from hers.

"You underestimate your power, little one." He said softly, his eyes locked with hers to ensure her that he meant every word. "Not many could get a shot at Kuronue, even if they tried their hardest. Whether it was a fluke or a calculated tactic, I can't risk leaving a demon with the ability to take down my friend at large in the Makai, and you're a lot more useful alive than dead."

"I just…don't understand why you'd want someone...who'd nearly killed your lifelong friend…" She admitted with a hint of guilt, though blushing madly because his handsome face was in range for…um…attacking…yeah…that's it…_attacking_... Youko chuckled softly, finally understanding her reluctant disposition.

"Well, you know the saying about keeping your enemies close," He clarified reassuringly, rising from floor, causing Sen to snap from her reverie and scramble to her feet. "I'll still need to discuss it with my partner, but for now, Juun will show you to a place where you may rest for the night." He motioned towards the servant that stood by the door, who rushed with what seemed like ecstatic enthusiasm at chance to serve her master.

Sen opened her mouth to protest, but he pressed a single finger on her lips.

"Stop talking, get some rest, and I will see you tomorrow." He said sternly before the servant, quite literally, dragged Sen away from her master protectively. He resisted the urge to the laugh as he saw the last of the girl being dragged out of the tent by his much smaller, yet surprisingly strong, assistant.

A few moments later his ear twitched at the sound of movement, and he glanced back over his shoulder at his partner's canopy.

"So, what do you think?" He called over to the indigo tent. There was a muffled groan in response, before the koumori glided out of the curtains, still slightly pale, but strong enough to stand.

"I should have known you'd do something like this…" he muttered disapprovingly. "You always seem to pick the weirdest fruit in the bunch."

The kitsune gave his partner a look at the pun. "True, but it's always the special ones that prove to be the best."

"I still don't trust her," Kuronue argued, sitting down on Youko's bed simply to irk the fox. "She seems too…"

"Too what? Innocent?" He joked.

"...compliant." Kuronue finished. "I think she's assessing the situation, so that she can find some way to undermine our authority."

"I think she's cute," Youko admitted with a smirk. Kuronue rolled his eyes.

"If you need an outlet for your endless reservoir of "sexual energy", there'll plenty opportunities in the next town. In the mean time, keep the cute ones in your bed and out of our group."

"But that's exactly her value." The kitsune continued. "She looks so small, so insignificant, that no one would expect an attack like…well, you know," The koumori growled and covered the wound by crossing his arms.

"That was a complete miscalculation on my part, not her."

"Mm-hmm…" Youko hummed sarcastically, which only earned him a glower from his partner.

"In any case," He continued while striding next to his partner. "I give my approval. But, knowing you…"

"She's going to have to prove herself." The koumori sharply spoke without looking at his partner. "I wouldn't particularly care if it was some random shinobi, but I do not want a god damned _woman_ here if she can't even defend herself."

* * *

**A/N: **And, so it ensues. I'm actually pretty curious to see how many Kuronue-lovers turn up to read this stuff. Hm... 

Well, until next time, see ya!


	3. Four Minutes

**A/N: **A chapter! GASP!

**Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho is a trademark that I do not pwn...or own for that matter.**

* * *

_'I am thinking,' _-Thoughts

"I am talking out loud, whoop woot!" - Talking

**Four Minutes**

The rest of the night had been nothing less of exhausting, especially after Juun, or whatever her name was, practically dragged her to the opposite end of the camp in the freezing cold air. When she was led inside the tent, Sen realized this was the quarters of the lowing ranking slaves, as most of demons inside slept next to some pile of clean dishes or some mass of laundry.

There was only one other person awake when she was led to the back of the tent, and she already had a bed of some sort prepared next to hers. She smiled and looked up at Sen, then frowned and glared at the back of the retreating form of the servant who was exiting the tent, who had silently mumbled the word "demon scum," at her.

"Cunt," She retaliated quietly, before she turned her attention back to Sen with a warm smile. "Sorry, about that. She sometimes tends to forget that she used to be one of us." She rose slightly and bowed politely. "I'm Akina, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you, though I wish it were under better circumstances."

"Likewise," Sen smiled and bowed. "Thank you for letting me stay here for the night, though."

"It's no trouble at all." Akina smiled. "So, what household were you from? It must have been nice if you got to wear those instead of servant rags." She said, eyeing her guard uniform under her cloak.

"What? Oh," Sen quickly drew her cloak closer to hide her garments when she noticed what Akina was wearing. In fact, she realized that all of the demons in the tent were women, and all wore the same type of faded pink kimono with a dirty grey sash.

"I'm not a...um…uh…" She searched for a word that wouldn't offend the other demon. Akina smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"A slave?" She finished. Sen nodded, slightly embarrassed. "It's ok. It's not like we're completely demeaned by the word. Youko-sama and Kuronue-sama treat us with a little dignity…" Her face then fell a little. "…when they're around."

Sen remained silent, and assumed that it wasn't unlikely that so many women would be taken advantage of while the dominant heads of the band were away. She waited until Akina came to again.

"So then, if you're not a servant, then what are you?" She continued, as if nothing had ever happened.

Sen filled her in about her unusual situation, everything from her kidnapping to Youko's offer to join the guild. When she finished, Akina's eyes were wide open, and by now a most of the servants around them had woken up and gathered around them to see the new stranger.

"That's incredible…" She breathed, while the rest of the servants whispered to each other in hushed excitement.

"Really?" Sen questioned. "I would have thought that there were some female thieves in the gang, right?"

"Nope. None." One of the servants spoke up from the back.

"Well, I mean, there _have_ been a few female warriors at the camp now and again. But most of them only stay for about a night or two, if you know what I mean…" Akina clarified with a wink. The mini crowd of women giggled subtly.

"But, seriously…" Sen tried to get back on the subject. "There are _none_?" She now felt a little uneasy. Being the only female bandit in the guild put a little more pressure on her skills now. Not only would she have to prove that she was competent as a warrior, but also that being a girl did not mean she was weak.

"I'm sure you'll be fine…" Akina said, putting a hand on hers reassuringly. "If anything, I'm sure Youko-sama would have only offered you a place if he thought you were strong enough."

"I hope so…" Sen said nervously.

One of the servants suddenly stood up, and peeked out the tent flap. "I think we better get going, ladies." She said, noticing the distant lighter hues in the distance.

"Oh, right." Akina remembered, clapping her hands sharply to wake up the few dozing servants. "Everyone, let's go. Breakfast is in less than two hours and we've got a lot of animals to feed."

The girls laughed and began folding their cots swiftly and silently, some yawning and stretching while others mumbled about a lack of sleep. Sen smiled and identified Akina as the leader of the bunch, as she directed a few of the slaves as to where to set the plates and pots outside.

"Anything I can do to help?" she offered to a younger girl, who was having trouble stuffing her sheets into a small bag. The little one blushed, and nodded quietly.

As she continued to help the women fold and pack away the sleeping ware, Juun suddenly opened the tent flap and poked her head in.

"Miss," She called quietly, so as only to catch Sen's attention. Sen turned and walked toward the entrance. "My Masters request your presence." Sen nodded and left the tent, giving Akina a thumbs up sign before leaving.

Instead of being led to the huge tent as expected, Juun brought Sen to a moderate-sized clearing, then bowed and left, saying that her Masters "would be here shortly."

Sen slowly inhaled, then exhaled. This was it. Hopefully, anyway. She anticipated that it would be a few more minutes before anyone showed up, so she decided to sit on the ground and meditate while she waited. It was only a split second later that she felt a soft shudder on the ground from someone landing from the pine tree behind her.

She sprung up and backed a few feet away from the bat demon that had gracefully landed and stood with his arms crossed, a slight smirk on his face. She mentally cursed._ '__Geez! __Do they __**all**__ like sneaking up behind people and scaring them half to death!?'_

The koumori snickered at her reaction. "Quick, but hasty. Youko was right." Sen felt a little less tense at his seemingly light-hearted nature, but felt irked that she was talked about like a third-party hamster.

"I see that you're up and about now," She spoke as to remind him of the "healing administration." Kuronue quickly frowned at the memory. "Speaking of Youko-"

"That's Youko-_sama_, snake." Kuronue growled. Sen glared at him.

"Youko-_sama_, then." She emphasized sarcastically. "Where is he?"

"Busy." He answered. "Which is why I'll be proctoring your exam today."

"My what?" Sen questioned. By now various demons were beginning to rise out of their tents, awakening to the faint scent of roasted meat and something sweet. On their way to breakfast some of the demons nudged their neighbors, gesturing and whispering at the sight of their leader and a stranger in the clearing. Some started whistling and hooting when a rumor went around that the stranger was a woman.

Kuronue raised his hand, and immediately the huddled circle went silent. "Men!" He said with a forceful vibrato. "It appears we have a new candidate for our thieving clan."

The circle broke into an excited roar, with various whistling and hooting from the demons closer to Sen. She tried her hardest to maintain her composure, but she couldn't keep her hands from shaking. It really felt like she was about to be killed by a mob.

"Do we have any takers?" The koumori raised his voice, obviously enjoying her discomfort. Sen intensified her glare. She was _really_ starting to dislike this guy.

"I'm afraid you still haven't explained the rules, Mr. _Proctor_!" She shouted over the crowd at the smug bat demon.

"The rules?" He repeated, hushing the crowd once more with his voice. "The rules are fairly easy to comprehend: Beat the challenger, and you're in. Lose, and you're dead."

"Wow. How homo-sapien." She insulted. The crowd booed her. Kuronue silenced them once more with his encouraging voice, smirking at the mob's reaction.

"Any challengers for the disrespectful snake?" He asked with dark satisfaction.

The crowd at first roared once more in excitement, before a particularly large demon with two swords sheathed behind his back stepped forward. The mob's cheers only grew more boisterous.

"This is no place for a mere girl." He said with a sneer, drawing one sword slowly so as to milk the crowd's reaction. "I'll make sure of that."

Sen took a step back and slid into a stance. She left her right hand out by her side for balance while she balled her left into a fist and pulled it defensively in front of her.

"Girly stance!" Someone yelled from the crowd. "She won't survive a minute!" Sen snapped. Now they were taking it too far.

"I am a girl, BITCH!!" She screamed while keeping her eyes locked on her opponent. The mob fell silent, and the two contestants circled each other in intense concentration, ready to strike at the other's first sign of weakness.

"Very well then," A calm, but powerful voice spoke. The crowd looked back to where Kuronue stood, only to find the notorious silver fox standing next to him. The crowd cheered at the sight of their leader. He raised his hand to quiet the crowd.

"Jin-ryuu the sadist," The demons cheered wildly for their comrade. "Versus Miss Sen." The crowd booed just as hard as they had cheered for their friend. "Begin!"

The taller demon smirked, then charged full-force at Sen. She sighed and stepped to the side at the last moment, leaving her foot out. Jin-ryuu tripped and fell face flat onto the dirt.

The demon scrambled to his face and spat, eyes full of rage at his grinning opponent.

"Why you little-!" He leaped in the air and brought his katana down on the spot where Sen had been moments before. She side-stepped his blow and slid behind him, then slammed the middle of his back with an axe-kick.

He yelled and collapsed to the ground, while Sen simply stared at him with indifference. He then sprang up and drew the other katana in his hand, completely enraged that he was being beaten by an opponent much smaller than he. But he slowly grinned, and charged at Sen once more. Sen anticipated his attack, and prepared to trip him once more. But at the last moment he pounded on the earth and somersaulted into the air, stabbing his swords at her head once he was directly above her.

Sen's eyes widened, and she ducked and rolled before he could hit her. She instantly regretted it though when she felt her fractured ribs from last night throb against her chest.

"Shit!" She cursed as she cradled her injury while she stood. The demon smirked, apparently pleased that he had injured her somehow. Sen quickly looked up at her opponent, who was charging at her once more.

"This'll end it, you worthless whore!" Sen's eyes narrowed, and her grin disappeared. She jumped and met her opponent mid air, using his head as a stepping stone to jump higher into the air. She landed, with a slight thud on a tree branch, then dove into the crowd when she found what she was looking for. Rolling to break her fall, she kicked someone's goblet of water into the air, and caught the liquid with her powers in her left hand. Now she was ready to kick some demon ass.

When Jin-ryuu recovered from the blow, he charged at Sen once more. This time Sen didn't hesitate. She sent a string of water at the demon's feet, and the oaf tripped again. She then leaped on to the demon's chest and encased his head in the liquid so that he couldn't breathe. Before he could try to strangle her, she used the combined force of the liquid and her arms to lift the demon into the air and throw him twenty feet into the crowd. The demon mob scattered frantically before he hit the ground, but to increase the power of the blow she shot the remaining liquid into the air around his head like a lasso and pulled with all her strength to bring him head first into the ground. There was an audible crack as his neck and spine hit the earth in a sequence, before his body fell limply to the ground.

Sen panted heavily and clutched her side. The guy's weight caused her to strain a tendon, and her ribs only hurt even more. At first the crowd was silent, and Sen's panting was the only audible noise within the clearing. Then three demons screamed in horror.

"JIN!!" They cried as they elbowed their way through the crowd to get to their friend. Two hurriedly turned over his body, while the last one glared at Sen in absolute hate.

"He's still breathing," She croaked. "He should live-"

"SHUT UP!!" He screeched as he ran at her with a short sword. Sen huffed. _'Enough of this shit.'_

She ran towards him, which he didn't expect, and uppercut straight up into his jaw. He collapsed to the ground, and didn't move.

She turned her heel sharply and headed full speed towards his friends when she heard them unsheathe their weapons. She smashed her fists simultaneously and squarely into their diaphragms, and flung one over her shoulder and stomped on his sternum, hearing a satisfying crack.

She kicked his head for good measure before she stalked away from her fallen enemies, facing the crowd.

"WHO ELSE WANTS SOME?!" She roared menacingly into the mob, who answered in complete silence. The demons remained quiet, then a single voice broke the silence.

"The winner," Youko said with a smile. "Is Miss Sen."

The crowd broke into cheer, and a single file of five servants snaked through the crowd to get to the ring. Sen panted heavily, then doubled over slightly and cringed when her ribs throbbed once more.

"Come on, Miss," A recognizable voice said softly. "Let's get that tended to." Sen looked up and saw the smiling face of Akina. She looked back at her former opponents, and saw that each of them were similarly tending to them, though it took two to lift Jin-ryuu to his feat.

"That sounds like a gooood ideeea," Sen slurred with a smile as she collapsed in her friends arms, unconscious. Akira slightly wobbled at her friend's sudden weight, then laughed as she snapped her fingers and two more servants appeared with a stretcher.

Youko watched from a distance as the girls carried the snake demon and the four other demons away. He smirked in satisfaction and turned his head to his partner.

"Was that a miscalculation as well?" He challenged.

Kuronue was silent, and turned his back to Youko as he walked off to breakfast. "That was…sufficient." He looked back at the fox. "She may be useful."

Youko chuckled at his friend. "She'd better be. She just took down four demons in four minutes."

* * *

**A/N: **The funny thing is, I had this chapter in reserve for a while now...

Let us recap for a brief moment, shall we? Sen has now not only been kidnapped and invited to join the band of thieves, but has now earned her right to remain as a thief. WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT!?

I seriously don't know...TA TA!!


End file.
